Katharina Gerhalter is a Lecturer at the Department of Romance Linguistics within the Institute of Romance Studies at the University of Graz. Her academic work focuses on the intersections of syntax , semantics , and pragmatics , particularly in the diachronic development of discourse functions in Romance languages. Education: Mag. Dr.phil. Bakk.phil. (equivalent to MA and BA in philosophy/philology) Her research includes the adjective-adverb interface in Spanish (dissertation, 2018) and a current habilitation thesis on topicalized infinitives in Spanish, French, and Portuguese. She contributes to the creation of annotated corpora for comparative studies in Romance languages. Recent publications analyze quantifiers in Spanish/Portuguese , NLP processing of infinitive structures , and historical pragmatics . Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with digital corpus methodologies, emphasizing cross-linguistic variation.
Kai Alter is a Senior Lecturer in Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience at Newcastle University's Faculty of Medical Sciences, affiliated with the Biosciences Institute. They also serve as an Affiliated Lecturer at the University of Cambridge's Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics and maintain collaborations with institutions including the University of Lisbon and Tuebingen University. Their educational background includes: Habilitation from University of Leipzig (2002) PhD in Linguistics from University of Leipzig (1994) Post-grade in Linguistics from University of Geneva (1993) Post-grade in Phonetics from University of Lausanne (1993) Master in Linguistics from University of Leipzig (1990) Master in Russian Language from University of Belgorod (1988) Dr. Alter's research focuses on auditory neuroscience, particularly speech and language processing using behavioral and neuro-imaging methods (EEG, MEG, fMRI) in both healthy volunteers and patients. Their work spans cognitive neuroscience, examining the comparison between language and music processing, neurocognition of prosody and intonation in children, turn taking in communication, tinnitus research, dyslexia and working memory, and laughter and brain interactions. They also investigate developmental aspects of speech & language processing, speech segmentation on phrase and discourse level, and processing of durational, tonal, and spectral properties related to voice. Dr. Alter's publications reveal a strong focus on tinnitus research, emotional processing in laughter, and speech processing in neurological conditions. Their work combines multiple neuroimaging techniques to understand auditory processing mechanisms, with recent publications showing increasing interest in tinnitus as a neurological condition and its relationship to brain responses, as well as the neural basis of emotional vocalizations like laughter. Notable scientific achievements include: Oxford Visiting Senior Research Fellowship (2015-2017) Honorary appointment as Research Associate in Neurology by the NHS Trust Associate Member of Laboratorio de Fonetica & Lisbon Baby Lab Research Associate at the Tuebingen University Hospital for Psychiatry Dr. Alter has co-supervised 22 PhD students and 8 PDRAs, and currently co-supervises 5 PhD students and 1 PDRA. They have secured international and national grants totaling £1.8 million over the past 12 years. As a reviewer, they have evaluated proposals for numerous national and international Research Foundations including Human Frontier Science Program, ERC, German Research Foundation, Netherlands Organisation of Scientific Research, Austrian Research Foundation, French Research Foundation, MRC, ASRC, ESRC, and Wellcome Trust. Dr. Alter co-convenes the cross-Faculty Research Group on Phonetics and Phonology at Newcastle University and maintains an active research program investigating the neural basis of speech and emotional vocalizations. Their work bridges cognitive neuroscience, linguistics, and clinical applications, particularly in understanding speech processing disorders and tinnitus.
Rosa Hesse is a Lecturer in the Institute of English Philology (WE6) at Freie Universität Berlin , part of the Department of Philosophy and Humanities. She is based at Habelschwerdter Allee 45, Room JK29/223, and can be contacted via email at r.hesse@fu-berlin.de. Her work bridges theoretical and applied linguistics, with a focus on syntactic and morphological structures, sociolinguistic dynamics, and computational approaches to language study. Research Focus: Her research explores the intersection of syntax , morphology , and sociolinguistics , particularly in multilingual urban environments and modern English dialects. She also contributes to cognitive linguistics and historical philology , analyzing idiomatic expressions and medieval manuscripts. Publications: Recent work highlights interdisciplinary trends, such as integrating computational models to study syntactic patterns and examining cross-linguistic complexity in language acquisition. Her studies often combine empirical analysis with theoretical frameworks from cognitive and historical linguistics. Institute Involvement: She participates in academic events like introductory sessions for first-year students in the BA English Philology and MA English Studies programs, underscoring her role in departmental teaching and student mentorship.
Dr. Constantijn Kaland is a Lecturer in Word Prosody & Laboratory Phonology at the University of Cologne since 2022, specializing in experimental phonetics and prosodic analysis. His research focuses on Speech production and perception , particularly in Papuan Malay , with interests in Language typology and Acoustic phonetics . He has previously held positions at Utrecht University, Free University of Bolzano, and University of Malta. Education: PhD (2014) in Prosodic marking of semantic contrasts, Tilburg University MA (2009) in Clinical and Experimental Linguistics, Leiden University BA (2007) in General Linguistics, Leiden University His research explores the acoustic correlates of prosody, including fundamental frequency (F0) analysis, stress perception, and the interaction of tone and intonation. Using computational tools like contour clustering, he investigates prototypical F0 patterns and their functional implications in speech processing. Publications span journals such as The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America and Journal of Phonetics , focusing on cross-linguistic prosody and speech technology. Dr. Kaland has taught courses on prosody at the University of Cologne, Utrecht University, and University of Malta. His work bridges theoretical and applied phonetics, with methodological contributions to analyzing prosodic patterns in field data.
Ada Valentini is a Full Professor in Glottology and Linguistics (SSD L-LIN/01) at the University of Bergamo, Department of Languages, Literatures and Foreign Cultures. She has been a faculty member since 1997, promoted to full professor in 2017, and has taught a wide range of courses including Acquisitional Linguistics, Corpus Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication. Her academic journey began in 1987-1988, with continuous teaching engagement since 1993-1994. PhD in Linguistics, University of Pavia (1992) Graduate in Foreign Languages and Literatures, University Institute of Bergamo (1986) Her research focuses on acquisition linguistics , particularly the acquisition of Italian as a second language by speakers of Wu Chinese, Tigrinya, English, and German, grounded in a typological-functionalist framework. She has published extensively in this domain, including two monographs. Her sociolinguistic interests include immigrant languages in Italy and linguistic varieties. She also investigates information structure in the Bergamo dialect, ancient and contemporary Italian, and English, especially split sentences. Her recent publications (2021–2025) reflect a strong engagement with second language acquisition, digital processing of spoken data, femicide discourse in media, and the preservation of linguistic heritage. Themes across her work include language contact, multilingualism, and the documentation of minority and regional varieties. She has no listed scientific awards in the provided text. Prof. Valentini supervises master's theses and advises students, requiring institutional email contact for academic inquiries. She holds regular online office hours on Mondays from 8–10. She is actively involved in academic service, including thesis preparation seminars for graduating students. She leads and contributes to initiatives on linguistic heritage and digital documentation, particularly through publications and editorial work on regional Italian dialects and sociolinguistic issues.
Inka Wissner is a Lecturer in the DEFLET department at the University of Franche-Comté, France, affiliated with the research pole on Didactics and Education. Her work is centered in the CLA (Centre de Langues et d'Apprentissages) and she holds a CNU section 7° affiliation. She is actively involved in research and academic service, leading pedagogical initiatives and contributing to international scholarly discourse in variational linguistics and lexicography. Her research interests are deeply interdisciplinary, focusing on variational linguistics , sociolinguistics , lexicography , and literary discourse analysis . She investigates diatopic (regional) variation in French across the Francophone world, from the Vendée in France to Quebec, the Caribbean, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Her work combines corpus linguistics , fieldwork methodology , and statistical analysis to study prepositional adverbials, regional vocabulary (e.g., viticulture), and the representation of regionalisms in literature. She is a key contributor to projects on the historical development of Romance languages, particularly the 'Third Way' of prepositional adverbials. The trends in her recent publications reveal a sustained and evolving focus on methodological rigor in linguistic field research, especially for understudied phenomena in Romance languages. Her work bridges historical linguistics, descriptive grammar, and sociocultural analysis, with a strong emphasis on data collection, statistical processing of small samples, and the development of standardized tools for pan-Romance studies. Her research consistently addresses the pragmatic and sociolinguistic functions of language variation. Expert reviewer for journals such as Studia linguistica romanica , Corela , and Expanding Romance Linguistics . Member and organizer of scientific committees for international colloquia on linguistic policies, linguistic innovations, and complexity in multilingual contexts. Dr. Wissner has held significant pedagogical responsibilities, serving as the Program Director for the undergraduate program since 2020 and the Pedagogical Director for the first year of the Master's program since 2019. Her research is supported by her expertise in field methodology and data analysis, contributing to major collaborative projects like 'The Second Way' and 'La Troisième Voie'. She has not received any scientific awards listed in the provided text. She is a member of the ELLIADD research team and the 'Contexte, Langages Didactiques' research pole at the University of Franche-Comté. She also collaborates internationally, notably with the University of Graz, Austria, on projects concerning prepositional adverbials in Romance languages.
Jakob Lykke Andersen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), where he conducts research in algorithms with applications in cheminformatics and complex systems. He also holds a former external appointment as a Research Fellow at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (2015–2017). Research Interests: His work lies at the intersection of computer science and theoretical chemistry, focusing on algorithmic methods for analyzing chemical reaction networks. He employs hypergraphs, mixed-integer linear programming, and probabilistic models to study metabolic pathways, reaction databases, and prebiotic systems. His research emphasizes computational efficiency, formal modeling, and software implementation. Publication Trends: His recent publications (2019–2025) show a consistent focus on graph-based modeling of chemical systems, rule extraction from reaction databases, thermodynamic feasibility, and stochastic analysis. These works appear in high-impact journals in cheminformatics, bioinformatics, and complex systems, reflecting strong interdisciplinary collaboration. Scientific Contributions: While no specific awards are listed, his sustained research output and leadership in funded projects highlight significant contributions to algorithmic cheminformatics. Grants and Projects: He is actively involved in two major ongoing research projects: (1) Software Infrastructures for Teaching at Scale (funded by Innovation Fund Denmark, 2022–2025), and (2) DIREC (Danish Research Center for Digital Economy, 2020–2025), indicating active engagement in both educational technology and core computational research. Advising and Outreach: While no students are listed, he participates in academic advising through project supervision. He contributes to public discourse through media appearances on topics such as mathematics in health (e.g., intestinal system modeling in obesity) and educational well-being. Labs and Teams: He collaborates with interdisciplinary teams, including researchers from bioinformatics, chemistry, and computer science, particularly through projects involving Merkle, Flamm, Fagerberg, and Stadler. His work is associated with algorithmic cheminformatics and software framework development groups at SDU.
Dr Tim Hancock is a Lecturer in English Literature at Ulster University's School of Arts & Humanities, based at Coleraine campus since 1998. He coordinates the 'Twentieth-Century Literature' core module for the BA (Hons) English degree, with expertise in poetry, modern literature, and love poetry. His academic roles include Course Director for BA English and Head of Subject for English. PGCUT in University Teaching (2000), Ulster University PhD on Seamus Heaney (1997), University of Cambridge MA Modern Literature: Theory & Practice (1992), Leicester University BA Combined Arts (1988), Leicester University Dr Hancock's research focuses on Twentieth-Century Poetry, particularly modernism, John Betjeman, Sylvia Plath, Mina Loy, T.S. Eliot, Paul Muldoon, Robert Lowell, Seamus Heaney, and Ciaran Carson. His 2024 monograph on Betjeman and Love expands on his long-standing interest in the intersection of romantic themes and poetic form. His publications and presentations span Betjeman's influence, Larkin's critiques, and the role of space in Plath's work. Contributions to UN Sustainable Development Goals emphasize education and literary analysis. Fellow, Centre for Higher Education Research and Practice (2014) Fellow, Higher Education Academy (2013) Dr Hancock supervises PhD researcher Connor James and has participated in conferences on modernist legacies, Betjeman's periodization, and gender in avant-garde poetry. His work bridges academic rigor with accessible scholarship through study guides and critical reviews.
Erika Raniolo is a Contract Professor of Glottology and Linguistics at the University of Catania 's Special Teaching Structure of Ragusa. She holds a permanent position as Tenured French Language Teacher (AA24) at the G. Curcio Higher Education Institute in Ispica since the 2024/2025 academic year. Her academic journey includes a PhD in Literary, Philological-Linguistic, and Historical-Philosophical Studies (University of Palermo, 2021) and advanced degrees in European and Non-European Languages (Catania, 2013) and Comparative Studies (Catania, 2011). Education: PhD in Literary, Philological-Linguistic, and Historical-Philosophical Studies (2021, University of Palermo) Master's in European and Non-European Languages and Cultures (2013, University of Catania) Bachelor's in Comparative Studies (2011, University of Catania) Research Interests center on poetic translation between sign and spoken languages, onomastics in signed languages, labializations in LIS, and teaching vocal languages to deaf individuals. She explores multimodal communication and sensory linguistic competence through comparative analysis of LIS (Italian Sign Language) and LSF (French Sign Language). Publications demonstrate expertise in: translating poetry through embodied perspectives; tactile sign language (LISt) for deafblind education; name signs in LIS; labialization studies; medical communication between deaf and hearing people; and pandemic-era sign language translation. Her work spans journal articles, book chapters, and a monograph on sign language poetry. Key Conferences: 2024: Accessibility and Cultural Heritage (Catania) 2023: Alterity in Poetry (Catania); Vertical Curriculum in English (Torino) 2022: LIS/LSF Comparative Study (Palermo); Tactile LIS (Catania) Professional Contributions include a Research Grant (2022/2023) on LIS/LSF in Sicilian cultural heritage, teaching LIS and French at the University of Catania for 5 consecutive academic years, and collaborative work with institutions like CNRS Paris, Université d'Ottawa, and BAICR Cultura della Relazione. She serves as a certified LIS interpreter (ANIMU #293) and holds advanced language certifications in French (C2), English (C1), German (B1), and Spanish (B1).
Christine Achinger is an Associate Professor of German Studies at the University of Warwick's Faculty of Arts, currently on research leave during 2024-25 as a Visiting Fellow at the Frankfurt Institute for Social Research. She joined Warwick in 2006 after completing her PhD at the University of Nottingham and has held prestigious fellowships at the University of Michigan and University of Chicago. Her educational background includes a BSc equivalent in Physics and BA equivalent in Philosophy from Hamburg, an MA in Gender and Ethnic Studies from London, and a PhD in German Studies from Nottingham. Her academic journey reflects interdisciplinary engagement with philosophy, literature, and social justice, including work at Hamburg-Neuengamme concentration camp memorial and the Institute for the History of German Jews. Research Focus: Critical analysis of antisemitism, racism, and Islamophobia as distorted manifestations of capitalist modernity Methodological Approach: Interdisciplinary examination of literature, social theory, and cultural history from Enlightenment to Fin de Siècle Key Contributions: Reconceptualizing intersections of Jewishness, gender, and ethnicity beyond stereotypical frameworks like the 'beautiful Jewess' Her publication trends reveal a sustained focus on critical theory applications to German-Jewish history, with increasing attention to intersectional frameworks since 2015. Recent work connects historical antisemitism to contemporary issues of racism and Islamophobia, demonstrating how constructions of alterity reflect broader social transformations. Leverhulme Fellowship for Frankfurt Institute research Visiting Fellowships at University of Michigan and University of Chicago Leadership in the Moishe Postone Legacy Project promoting critical theory Board membership in European Sociological Association's Racism and Antisemitism Network As a supervisor, Achinger guides doctoral research on Black feminist movements, Weimar cinema representations, German-Israel relations, and leftist political violence. Her institutional roles include directing Warwick's Centre for Global Jewish Studies and co-directing the Centre for Research in Philosophy, Literature and the Arts. She actively contributes to multiple professional associations including the German Studies Association and British Association for Jewish Studies, while maintaining involvement with the Villigster Forschungsforum on National Socialism, Racism and Antisemitism.
Elke Teich is a Professor of English Linguistics and Translation Studies at Saarland University, where she leads the Department of Linguistics and Language Technology. She serves as spokesperson for the Collaborative Research Center SFB 1102 Information Density and Linguistic Encoding , funded by the DFG, and heads the Saarbrücken CLARIN-D Center. Her work bridges computational linguistics, corpus analysis, and translation studies, with a strong focus on diachronic and register-based language variation. Education and Affiliations: Professor, Saarland University Spokesperson, SFB 1102 (DFG-funded) Head, CLARIN-D Saarbrücken Former member, Cluster of Excellence Multimodal Computing and Interaction Previous affiliations: TU Darmstadt, University of Sydney, ISI Los Angeles Research Interests: Elke Teich's research centers on language variation and change in scientific English, using computational models and information-theoretic measures like surprisal, entropy, and relative entropy. She investigates how communicative concerns shape linguistic encoding, particularly in translation and historical texts. Her work combines corpus linguistics, NLP, and cognitive perspectives under the framework of rational communication. Publication Trends: Her recent publications focus on diachronic analysis of scientific writing using the Royal Society Corpus, probabilistic modeling of translationese, and infrastructure development for language resources (e.g., Text+, CLARIN-D). There is a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary methods, combining data mining, syntactic annotation, and information theory to explore linguistic evolution. Scientific Awards: No awards explicitly mentioned in the text. Advising and Grants: Elke Teich leads a research group at Saarland University and supervises students in the Bachelor's program Language Science and Master's program Translation Science and Technology . She has secured significant funding through the DFG SFB 1102 and participates in national research data infrastructure initiatives like NFDI Text+. Her team includes research assistants and collaborators such as Stefan Fischer, Jörg Knappen, and Tom S. Juzek. Labs and Teams: Her research group is part of the Department of Language Science and Technology and is actively involved in the CLARIN-D consortium. The team develops and maintains corpora like the Royal Society Corpus and EuroParl-UdS, and works on tools for annotation, metadata generation, and text mining.
Pierre-Yves Modicom is a University Professor of Germanic Linguistics at the Faculty of Languages, Jean Moulin University Lyon 3. He serves as Director of the Department of German Studies, Head of the LLCER and LEA German degrees, and Vice-President for Internationalization, Europe, and Support for Component Areas. He is also co-facilitator of the 'Description and Modeling' research axis at the Center for Linguistic Studies – Corpus, Discourse and Societies (CELESTES). Research Interests: His primary research areas include Germanic and contrastive linguistics, with a focus on syntax, semantics, pragmatics, discourse markers, modal particles, information structure, and historical development of Germanic languages. He investigates the interplay between grammatical structure and discourse function, especially in older Germanic varieties and heritage language contexts. Recent Publications: His recent scholarly output reflects a strong trend in theoretical and descriptive linguistics, particularly on adverbial categorization, subject properties in Germanic, construction grammar, and discourse particles. He frequently collaborates with scholars such as Olivier Duplâtre and Camille Noûs, and his work appears in leading linguistics series from De Gruyter, John Benjamins, and Peter Lang. Scientific Contributions: He has contributed to interdisciplinary debates, including the impact of neoliberalism on science and the epistemology of linguistic knowledge. His publications span monographs, edited volumes, peer-reviewed journal articles, and book chapters in French, English, and German. Advising and Leadership: While no specific advisees are listed, he holds significant academic leadership roles, including training management for international degrees and research coordination. He is actively involved in professional associations like the Association of Germanists in Higher Education, where he served as national treasurer from 2018 to 2021. Laboratories and Teams: He is affiliated with CELESTES (Centre d'Études Linguistiques - Corpus, Discours et Sociétés) and the Cogitamus Laboratory, contributing to research on linguistic modeling, corpus-based analysis, and cognitive approaches to language.
Dr. David Buján Carballal is a Lecturer and Researcher at the University of Deusto in Spain. He holds a BSc, MSc, and PhD in Computer Sciences from the University of Deusto, with a dissertation focusing on semantic technologies in Grid computing. His research spans Blockchain, Cloud/Grid computing, Linked Data, and Semantic Technologies. He teaches Web Engineering, Operating Systems, and Distributed Systems, and works at the Mobile Communications Research Group (MORElab) within DeustoTech Institute and Telefónica Deusto Chair. Education: BSc in Computing - Faculty of Engineering, University of Deusto MSc in e-Business - University of Deusto PhD in Computer Sciences - University of Deusto (2016) Research focuses on integrating semantic technologies with distributed systems, including blockchain applications and cybersecurity in connected industries. He actively participates in national projects (ALASTRIA network) and international conferences like HAIS, SOCO, and IoT. His work includes developing context-aware tourism platforms and remote laboratory systems (WebLab-Deployer). Advising & Grants: Involved in national/international research projects and private contracts. Served on program committees for conferences such as CAEPIA and JENUI. Extensive collaboration with institutions like the University of Manchester, UCM, and the University of Westminster. Labs/Teams: Lead researcher at MORElab, part of DeustoTech’s Mobile Communications group.
Prof. Nico Nassenstein is a Professor of African Languages and Linguistics and Vice Dean of Faculty 07 at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. His research focuses on sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, and pragmatics, with particular attention to Bantu languages in East and Central Africa, youth language practices, and language contact phenomena. He has guest-edited major journal special issues and co-authored influential books such as Metasex: The Discourse of Intimacy and Transgression and Nachtlinguistik . His work addresses topics including language variation in touristic contexts, verbal transgression, and naming practices in African cultures. He has led international workshops and collaborative projects involving universities in Brazil, Zimbabwe, and across Africa. In 2022, he received the Sibylle Kalkhof-Rose Award for exceptional academic contributions in the humanities. Key research initiatives include studies on morphosyntactic variation in African youth languages, decolonial linguistic approaches, and the sociolinguistics of languages like Lingala, Swahili, and Kinyarwanda. Nassenstein actively engages with interdisciplinary methods, combining ethnography with linguistic analysis to explore how language reflects cultural, political, and social dynamics.
Harvey Hames is a Professor in the Department of General History at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), currently serving as Rector since 2018. His academic career spans roles including Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (2016-2018) and department chair (2011-2015). He established the Center for the Study of Conversion and Inter-Religious Encounters (2013) under the I-CORE initiative, a significant hub for interdisciplinary research. Education: PhD in Medieval History (1996), Cambridge University His research focuses on Medieval and Renaissance religious interactions , particularly Jewish-Christian-Muslim dynamics. Key areas include Kabbalah and Christian mysticism , apocalyptic movements , inter-religious polemics , and Bible/Talmud translations . His work challenges assumptions about pre-Renaissance Christian engagement with Jewish mysticism, exemplified by his studies on Ramon Llull. Recent publications analyze semantic change methodologies (2018) and medieval conversion narratives. He has guest-edited major journals like Mediterranean Historical Review and co-edited volumes on Latin-into-Hebrew knowledge transfer, emphasizing the underappreciated Christian-Jewish intellectual exchange in medieval Europe. Scientific Awards: 2014 David Berg and Family Chair in European History (BGU) 2013 I-CORE Center for Conversion and Inter-Religious Encounters 2006 Magister of Maiorcensis Schola Lullistica 2003 Clare Hall (Cambridge) Life Membership 2002 Samuel Toledano Prize His advising and grant work include leading the I-CORE program (2013), which received Israel Science Foundation funding (grant 1754/12). He has also contributed to academic discourse through editorial roles and collaborations with institutions like Brill and SUNY Press.
